


I Want You To Want Me

by blainedarling



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-03
Updated: 2013-04-03
Packaged: 2017-12-07 10:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/747225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blainedarling/pseuds/blainedarling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick's got a plan. Get Sebastian to date Hunter, and then he can date Jeff. It can't fail...right? (Based/inspired on "10 Things I Hate About You")</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

Blaine hurried through the corridors of Dalton Academy, arms laden with folders and leaflets, awkwardly pushing his glasses up his nose with his elbow. The hallways were teeming with students; it was the first day after summer break, after all. He skidded around the corner in his haste, nearly tripping over his own feet, sending the papers flying across the floor. There was a chorus of snickering and jeers from the other side of the hallway, where the Warblers stood, headed by Thad. 

Thad Jenkins. The most popular guy in school. Captain of the Warblers, the group that pretty much ruled the private academy. With dark hair that framed his defined face and a seemingly ever present, smug grin.   
“What are you looking at, hobbit?” he sneered at Blaine, who flushed profusely before smoothing down his mess of curls and gathering together his things and taking off down the corridor again.

“Nicholas Duval?” Blaine asked quietly, gently tapping on the shoulder of the short, dark haired boy that was standing in front of a locker, a look of confusion across his face.  
He jumped, turning around to face Blaine. “Oh. Blaine, right?”  
Blaine nodded, sticking out his hand enthusiastically, juggling his pile to balance it on his other arm.  
“Thank god, usually they send some complete geek with a million leaflets,” Nick laughed, returning the handshake and rolling his eyes.

Blaine flushed, eyebrows shooting up into his hairline. “Right,” he laughed awkwardly, hastily shoving the pile of leaflets he’d been carting around all morning into the nearest trashcan. “Ready for the tour?”

*

“I’ve never been to a school with a uniform before,” Nick admitted, frowning down at himself and adjusting his blazer as he and Blaine walked through the sunny courtyard.  
“You get used to it,” Blaine smiled reassuringly, straightening his own tie self consciously.

From the table in the middle of the area came the sound of the Warblers, harmonising flawlessly with one another. They weren’t performing, not really, just messing around as they liked to do in between classes. Just to stake their claim over their school. Occasionally, they’d throw an impromptu performance; at lunch break sometimes, although more commonly, it would be sometime during the night. With the dorms surrounding the back gardens, which echoed enough as it was, the students at Dalton got pretty accustomed to being woken up at ridiculous times to the sound of their voices rising up from below.

Nick turned to Blaine, one eyebrow raised in question before turning back to the group. Thad spotted him watching them, taking in the new boy. He made it his business to keep an eye on everyone who came and went within the school, always searching for new talent for the Warblers...and for himself. He frowned as he took in the new boy’s companion - Blaine Anderson. Well, maybe not then. Besides, he had his sights set elsewhere.

“Who is that?” Nick breathed as Jeff walked past him, chatting animately with Flint about how he had done something new with his hair and thank you so much for noticing.  
Blaine rolled his eyes. “Don’t even bother,” he mumbled, flushing slightly as he remembered the months, back when he’d first moved to Dalton, spent pining over the blond.

Nick made a vague noise in response, his jaw practically hanging open as he watched Jeff walk past. The hair, the cute smile, the melodic sound of his laugh, the smooth, almost rhythmic, way he walked... Nick couldn’t ever remember having seen anyone as gorgeous in his entire life.

“Hey, Jeff,” Thad called, sauntering over to the boy who turned to face him with a bright smile. “You still owe me that movie date,” he teased, sliding his arm around Jeff’s waist slowly.  
Flint huffed, folding his arms across his chest as he waited for Thad to finish his latest proposition, while Jeff giggled obliviously as Thad tickled his side gently.  
“This happens about once a week,” Blaine murmured to Nick, whose gaze was still fixed on Jeff.

“Thad,” Jeff laughed, throwing his head back as he did, exposing the long column of his neck.   
Blaine pinched Nick’s arm a little with a grin as he saw his new friend’s eyes glaze over at the sight. Nick hissed at him, rubbing his arm with a pout.  
“Well, you never know, maybe this will be the week for Hunter,” Jeff replied, as he always did, shrugging with a small smile before returning to Flint.

Jeff’s eyes fell on Nick as they passed, a soft frown of confusion knitting across his features. Nick smiled in response, attempting a friendly nod that somehow came out as an attempt at a sultry wink. The blond raised an eyebrow, laughing as he continued on his way, leaving Nick with his face burning red, Blaine chuckling at his side. 

*

“What did he mean? About...Hunter?” Nick whispered across the table to Blaine.  
The two had a study period together and Blaine had suggested Nick joined him in the library. Nick had spent the time pretending to study his schedule and syllabus for the semester and wondering why Blaine was insisting on reading twice as much as was down as required reading.

Blaine looked up with a sigh, wriggling his nose to reposition his glasses before pointing his pen in the direction of a table across from them. There sat a tall, broad shouldered boy, blazer thrown over the back of his chair as he listened to his friend, a slim, pale, chestnut haired boy, who appeared to be in the middle of a very dramatic story.

“Hunter is Jeff’s brother,” Blaine explained quietly. “And that’s Hunter’s best friend, Kurt.” His eyes lingered on Kurt, as he smiled wistfully. Nick raised an eyebrow, laughing softly.   
“Got a crush, Anderson?”   
Blaine hit him lightly on the arm with the book he was holding, the tips of his ears pink. “Anyway, Jeff refuses to date until Hunter does because his brother’s happiness comes before his own, or something.” Blaine rolled his eyes, turning back to his books.

Nick pondered this for a moment, chewing on the end of his pen thoughtfully. “I don’t see how that’s a problem?” he admitted finally, looking over at Blaine hopefully.  
Blaine groaned softly, putting down his pen regretfully. “Hunter’s straight. When you go to an all boys boarding school, there aren’t exactly a lot of girls around.”

A tall boy walked past the table Kurt and Hunter were sat at, Dalton blazer exchanged for a black leather jacket. Kurt was busy rootling around in his bag, but Nick didn’t miss how Hunter’s eyes fell to the boy’s ass when he walked past, noting the way his lips curled into a smile.

“Straight?” Nick echoed doubtfully, turning back to Blaine, who shrugged in response.   
“So he says. Jeff thinks otherwise.”  
“I can see why,” Nick murmured, nibbling on his lip thoughtfully.

Blaine suddenly spotted the boy in the leather jacket, hastily turning back to his books. “Keep your head down and he might not notice us,” he murmured.  
Unfortunately, he had noticed them, and his hand was soon planted firmly on the back of Blaine’s chair as he slid into the seat next to him.

“I have an English assignment due in a fortnight,” the boy grinned at Blaine, completely ignoring Nick.  
“Hamlet?” Blaine asked, casting him a quick glance but otherwise not making eye contact.  
He hummed in response, his eyes drifting to the other boy at the table. “Who’s this?” he asked pointedly.

“Nick,” the boy himself said before Blaine could, reaching his hand out across the table.  
The boy smirked, ignoring his hand and turning back to Blaine expectantly.   
“He’s new,” Blaine explained.   
His smirk grew wider as he reached out to ruffle Blaine’s hair. “You made a friend. Cute.”

With that, he was gone, weaving his way out through the shelves towards the door. Nick looked over at Blaine, not sure whether to laugh or check if he was alright.  
“That’s Sebastian,” Blaine mumbled, not looking up as turned a page. “You’ll get used to him.”  
Nick ignored his comment, a plan already forming in his mind. “I think I have an idea,” he said triumphantly, with a grin.

Blaine sighed, pulling off his glasses to rub his eyes warily. “I’m not help-”  
“And you’re going to help me.”  
He let his head fall to the desk with a thump, making a muffled noise of protest as a wad of paper flew across the library and bounced off his head.  
“Keep it down, Anderson!” Hunter yelled, ignoring the librarian who shushed them in return as he and Kurt left through the same door Sebastian had just minutes before.


	2. Part Two

“So, what you’re telling me,” Blaine said slowly, his eyebrows furrowed into a frown as he looked across the cafeteria table at Nick, “Is that you’re going to walk up to Sebastian Smythe and ask him if he’ll date Hunter?”  
Nick nodded enthusiastically, putting his glass down on the table with a triumphant thump. “Communication is key, Blaine.”  
Blaine rolled his eyes, turning back to his food. “That only applies once you’re actually in the relationship, I believe.”

Nick huffed, peering discreetly over his shoulder at where Sebastian sat, by himself, toying with a lighter absentmindedly. “Actually...I think you should ask him.”  
“Me?” Blaine squawked indignantly, hitching his glasses up. “Why me? I refuse to get involved in this suicide mission!”  
“Sebastian likes you.”  
“Sebastian likes that I do his homework. That’s it.”

Resting his chin in his hands, Nick batted his eyelashes at Blaine hopefully, while the other boy glared back at him. Blaine eventually sighed, pushing away his plate and standing up.   
“It was nice knowing you,” he grumbled, straightening his blazer before moving through the tables towards Sebastian.

“Sebastian,” Blaine announced as he reached him, the confidence in his voice not quite reaching his eyes.   
“Blaine,” Sebastian replied, looking up at him with an amused smirk. “Well, are you sitting or hovering?”  
Blaine flushed slightly, dropping down into the seat next him, trying not to flinch as Sebastian swung his legs up onto his lap, mud clad boots and all.  
“I have a proposition for you.”

*

Nick, along with the rest of the student body, jumped in surprise as the sound of Sebastian laughing filled the room, cutting across the top of the general chatter. Blaine sat next to him, his face a bright shade of red, looking around him uncertainly until he finally made a decision, scuttling away out of the door, flashing Nick a glare.   
“For a second there, Anderson, I thought you were about to ask me out,” Sebastian called after Blaine’s quickly retreating figure. “But that was about a million times funnier.”  
There was a murmur of confusion from the other students, hastily silenced by one glance from Sebastian.

With a sigh, Nick grabbed his bag and followed after Blaine, finding his friend huddled up in the corner of the corridor, knees drawn up to his chest.   
“So, that was a no then?”  
Blaine looked up at him furiously, standing up and brushing off his pants. “And next time, you can ask yourself!” he hissed, taking off down the corridor towards his dorm.

*

“Blaine,” Nick whispered, leaning forward in his seat in English to tap the boy’s shoulder gently. “Blaine!”  
“What?” Blaine asked, turning around to look at him stonily.  
“I have a new plan.”  
Blaine just stared at him, clearly unamused.  
“I’ll come with you this time?” Nick offered, the hopeful grin once more on his face.  
The boy in front of him sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily. “Why did I ever let myself become friends with you?” he mumbled to himself.

*

Thad looked up as the two boys approached, folding his arms across his chest. “If you’re selling cookies for boy scouts, I’ll take two boxes,” he grinned, the Warblers around him sniggering softly.  
Blaine growled under his breath, casting Nick a glance, who smiled back encouragingly.   
“Actually, we want to help you.”

Thad’s eyebrows shot up, before he looked around at his friends with a mocking sneer across his face. “My knights in shining armor have arrived!” he declared, placing a hand over his heart dramatically.   
Nick placed a hand on Blaine’s arm gently, feeling him tensing up at his side.   
“It’s about Jeff Sterling,” Nick started, coming to stand in front of Thad.  
“I’m listening.”

*

“Let me get this straight,” Thad said when they’d finished, drumming his fingers on his knee thoughtfully. “I pay Sebastian to bang Hunter so that I can bang Jeff?”  
Nick balled his hands into fists at his side. “Pretty much,” he mumbled through his clenched teeth.  
“What’s in this for you two?”  
“We get to be in the Warblers,” Blaine piped up, fiddling with the strap of his satchel nervously. “Not...the clique, so much. Just the singing part.”  
Thad nodded, looking between them. “Gentlemen. You have yourselves a deal.”

*

Blaine caught up with Sebastian again that evening, finding him laying out on the grass fields behind the school, lit cigarette dangling between his long fingers.  
“You just can’t leave me alone, huh?” Sebastian drawled, grinning up at him.   
“Hi,” Blaine replied simply, sitting down cross legged on the grass next to him.   
“If this is about Hunter, you’d be better keeping your mouth shut.” Sebastian paused, closing his eyes with a smirk. “After all, there are far better things you could be doing with that mouth.”

Blaine ignored his last comment, taking a deep breath. “What about if you’re paid to do it?”  
“You’re going to pay me? Aren’t you on a scholarship?”  
The smaller boy winced, frowning slightly. “Thad’s going to pay you. We’ll let him believe he’s going to get Jeff while actually Nick will.”  
“Look,” Sebastian sighed, sitting up. “I like a challenge as much as the next guy, but turning Hunter gay?” He shook his head, flicking his burnt out cigarette into the grass.

“You shouldn’t do that,” Blaine mumbled with a frown, his eyes moving to where he’d tossed it away, while Sebastian chuckled softly, rolling his eyes.   
“What’s the harm in trying?” Blaine said finally.  
Sebastian looked at him, head cocked in thought. “I’m curious, just what do you get out of this?”  
“Nick really likes-”  
“No, not Nick. You.”

Blaine shrugged, running a blade of grass through his fingers. “I get to be in the Warblers. I love performing,” he murmured, with a small smile.  
Sebastian couldn’t help but smile a little too as he watched Blaine carefully, before standing up with a sigh. “I’ll think about it, okay?”

*

By the end of the week, Sebastian was $200 richer and seemed to be spending most of his time quietly observing Hunter, trying to decide where to start. In the end, he decided it would be easiest to begin with the most obvious tactic, and work from there.

“Hey,” Sebastian smirked, hands placed firmly on the table where Hunter sat, allowing his eyes to slowly trail down the other boy’s body.  
“Can I help you?” Hunter asked flatly; his ever present companion Kurt snickering at his side.  
“Saturday night, you and me. How about it?”  
Sebastian had a one hundred percent success rate. However, this was the first time he’d hit on someone who was supposedly straight.  
“In your dreams asshole,” Hunter smiled sweetly, standing up and walking off into the crowd of students.

Two days later, Sebastian caved and approached Nick and Blaine at lunch, where they sat bickering about some superhero comic or another.  
“Boys,” he said with a regretful sigh as he sat down next to them. “I’m going to need some help with this one.”


	3. Part Three

Nick was pretty sure he hadn’t breathed in the last ten minutes. Which was understandable really, since Jeff was sitting pressed up so close to his side that their legs were touching, hip to knee, his warm eyes fixed on Nick’s. They were sat on the wooden bench, tucked just around the corner from the main courtyard; their spot hidden from view by an overgrown willow tree.

“I can’t believe you’d do all this just to take me out on a date,” Jeff murmured, his eyelashes fluttering slightly.  
Nick blushed, pressing closer to Jeff’s side. “It’s nothing, really,” he stuttered.  
Jeff frowned a little, biting his lip; Nick’s eyes instantly falling to how his teeth dug into the soft pink skin. “But what about Thad,” he asked, a look of concern passing across his face.  
“Uh,” Nick stammered, suddenly taken aback by the question. “What about Thad?”  
Jeff frowned, pulling away slightly. “This doesn’t seem very fair on him.”

Before Nick could answer, the two of them were distracted by a noise from the courtyard, the sound of Thad’s sneering laugh reaching them. Nick lifted a branch from the tree so they could see what was going on, just in time to see the Warbler throw a freshmen up against the wall of the building, Thad only grinning more when the young boy winced as his head hit it with a dull thump.  
“You were saying?” Nick whispered to Jeff, who buried his face into Nick’s shoulder as the sound of Thad’s taunts echoed around the courtyard.

*

“Anything, Jeff,” Nick pleaded, looking over at him helplessly as he sat at the end of his bed in the room he shared with Hunter.  
Jeff sighed, looking around the room with a shrug. “We were close when we were younger but I really don’t know much about him any more.”  
“Well,” Nick said slowly, drawing the word out on his tongue. “We could look through his stuff?”

Jeff looked at him for a moment, as if scandalized by such an idea, before a grin broke out over his face and he nodded enthusiastically. “You take the nightstand, I’ll start in the wardrobe.”  
Nick hesitated, glancing towards the nightstand uncertainly. When he looked back, Jeff was already knee deep in clothes, raking through them for anything that could give them some clue as to what Hunter actually liked to do, aside from persistently insisting on being straight.

A comfortable silence settled over the room as they searched, the only sound coming from the rustling of pages as Nick flipped through Hunter’s planner and the thump of clothes hitting the floor as Jeff rummaged through them carelessly. Jeff squeaked suddenly, holding his hand up triumphantly. Nick looked up, his hands still full of bits of paper, yelping as a pair of black boxer briefs hit him in the face.

“Black underwear,” Jeff called out triumphantly.  
Nick flushed, tossing the underwear back at Jeff with a confused look. “So?”  
“It means he’s thinking about sex,” Jeff grinned, clearly pleased with himself.  
The dark haired boy regarded him for a moment, eyebrow raised in amusement. “He’s a teenage boy. I don’t think that’s exactly a revelation.”

Jeff grumbled a little, turning back to the pile surrounding him. Unsurprisingly, Nick didn’t even look up the next time he heard Jeff’s satisfied mumbling from the other side of the room.  
“Well, he’s definitely gay.”  
Nick looked up to come face to face with a magazine being waved in his face, some very naked, very toned male model smoldering at him from the cover.  
“Oh,” Nick croaked, turning back to the nightstand hastily. “That’s good.”

*

By the end of their search, they’d further managed to uncover a stack of music and movies that they hoped would at least give Sebastian some idea of where to start in getting Hunter to even acknowledge him.

“Even with the money...how did you get Sebastian to agree?” Jeff asked the other boy as they walked back out to the grounds together, shoulders brushing gently.  
“Blaine spoke to him,” Nick replied. “Neither of them will admit it, but I think they’re sort of friends.”

Jeff laughed fondly. “Unlikely friends.” He looked at Nick out of the corner of his eye, grinning softly. “Did Blaine tell you about his...history with Sebastian?”  
Nick frowned, shaking his head a little. “Blaine says he does his homework and that’s all there is to it.”  
Jeff laughed again, the soft sound echoing through the empty corridor. “Oh, that is definitely not all there is to it.”

“When Sebastian first got here - a couple of months after Blaine did - those two were inseparable. They weren’t...friends, exactly. It was more that Sebastian followed him around making suggestive comments while Blaine blushed and stammered and ran away from him as best as he could. Eventually, Sebastian caught on to the little crush Blaine’s had on Kurt - Hunter’s friend, you know the one? - for ever, and gave up.”

As Jeff finished his story, they rounded the corner out of the back door, walking smack into Blaine and Sebastian. Blaine was flushed red, clutching his books to his chest, while Sebastian stood smirking at his side.   
“That sounds about right,” Sebastian grinned, ruffling Blaine’s hair as the smaller of the boys batted at his hand with a huffed sigh. “So, what have you got for me?”

*

Sebastian leaned over the back of Hunter’s chair in the library, dangling the concert tickets in front of his face.  
“You and me, Thursday night, your favourite band.”  
“No,” Hunter replied in a cool tone, turning back to the book in his hand.  
“Give me a chance,” Sebastian murmured, dropping down into the seat next to him and pouting at him. He let his hand drift to Hunter’s thigh, his fingers grazing up and down his leg through the thin material of his pants.

Hunter turned to him furiously, snatching at Sebastian’s hand roughly until the other boy was yelping as a sharp pain shot through his fingers.  
“Stay away from me, Smythe,” he growled, grabbing the tickets from Sebastian’s other hand before storming off. “Thanks for the tickets,” he called back over his shoulder.

Sebastian growled, flexing his fingers slowly and wincing slightly, before stomping in the direction Hunter had gone.  
“Thad’s throwing a party in the senior common room on Saturday,” he stated, his usual cool demeanor and charming smirk slipping back into place as easily as a mask.  
“And your point is?”  
“I’ll pick you up at eight,” Sebastian grinned, patting Hunter’s ass appreciatively.

Before Hunter could protest, Sebastian had walked off in the opposite direction down the corridor. Hunter stopped, jaw open in shock as he watched Sebastian saunter away from him.  
“Did Sebastian Smythe just put his hand on your ass?” Kurt asked, one eyebrow raised as he slowed down to stand next to his friend.  
“Uh-huh,” Hunter murmured, his gaze still fixed on where Sebastian was now long gone.  
“And you didn’t punch him in the face?”  
“Uh-huh.”

Kurt just shrugged, nudging Hunter’s shoulder to pull him out of his trance before they started walking down the hall to their next class together. “Well, it’s about time,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. 

They reached their class, leaning against the wall in silence. Hunter had finally closed his mouth and was now brooding to himself, arms folded across his chest; Kurt knew better than to try and talk to him when he was in that sort of mood. He watched, intrigued as the new kid - Nick, maybe? - stumbled out an offer to take Jeff to the party, sniggering slightly at the pair of them.

“Hey Kurt,” Blaine said softly from somewhere beside him; the taller boy jumping a little as he looked down to find Blaine right at his side, nibbling on his lip nervously.  
Kurt narrowed his eyes, looking around the boys gathered outside the classroom, most of whom were discussing the party.   
“Don’t even think about it, shortstack,” he chuckled, leaving Blaine standing flushing outside the classroom as the rest of the students filed in, led by their teacher. 

“Anderson! Get in here!”  
Blaine jumped, pulling himself back together and hurrying into the classroom to take his seat. He looked over at where Nick and Jeff sat, their gazes fixed solely on one another as the class begun. His gaze flickered over to where Hunter sat, fingers drumming on the table, his focus clearly far away. He finally let his eyes fall to Kurt, all long, lean limbs and perfect hair. He sighed, resting his chin in his hand as he looked over at him. As much as he liked helping his friends (and the fact that he had friends at all) he just wished he could get Kurt to take him seriously even for a second.

There was a loud sigh from beside him and Blaine looked up to find his teacher watching him with an exasperated expression. “When you’re fully finished gazing wistfully at Mr Hummel, could you hand out the worksheets?”  
Blaine’s blushed a furious red as he grabbed the sheets, shuffling around the classroom, his eyes trained firmly on the floor.

“Blaine,” Nick whispered as he went past, touching his arm gently. “We’ll think of something,” he murmured with a wink, nodding towards where Kurt sat.  
Jeff added an encouraging nod from where he sat, his arm laced around Nick’s. Blaine just nodded in response, going back to his seat with a sigh, perfectly content to spend the rest of the lesson staring at Kurt, as always.


	4. Part Four

“And you say you don’t like him,” Kurt drawled from the bed, casting Hunter a knowing look as he stood in front of the mirror, fiddling with the collar of his shirt nervously.  
“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to make a good impression,” Hunter huffed in response. “Is it too much?”  
Kurt groaned, rubbing his eyes wearily. “It’s a shirt and jeans, Hunt, seriously,” he growled in exasperation, mumbling a thank you under his breath as he heard a knock on the door.

He stomped to the door, throwing it open to see Sebastian leaning against the doorframe, plain white shirt tight across his chest, jeans clinging to his long legs.   
“Make sure you tell him he looks good or I will tear my hair out,” Kurt said through gritted teeth before pushing past him to go back to his own room.  
Sebastian gave Kurt an amused nod as he moved past before turning to face Hunter, his eyes trailing down his body leisurely. “You look hot,” he commented with a smirk.  
“I believe Kurt’s word choice was good,” Hunter sighed, with a roll of his eyes as he headed towards the door.  
“I know it was, but Hummel doesn’t give you enough credit.”  
“Let’s just get this over with,” Hunter mumbled, jumping slightly as Sebastian slipped his arm around his waist.

“You know, I’m sensing you don’t do this much,” Sebastian teased softly, his breath ghosting over Hunter’s cheek hotly.  
Hunter snorted. “I don’t see the point in parties. It’s just an excuse to get drunk and rub up against one another.”  
“I’m not seeing the problem,” Sebastian replied cooly, his finger dipping under the edge of Hunter’s shirt and tracing over his hip. “Let loose for once in your life, Clarington.”

Hunter knew that Sebastian was daring him to step outside of his usual comfort zone and he had never been one to turn down such a blatant challenge. As they walked into the already crowded common room, he grabbed a filled shot glass from the nearby table, downing it one.   
“Watch me, Smythe,” he grinned, before melting into the crowd of bodies in the room.   
Sebastian watched him go with a smug grin; this was going to be a lot more fun than he’d imagined. 

*

Blaine sighed as he watched Nick run a hand through his hair yet again, as they walked through the hallways towards the common room. “You look fine, stop fussing,” he assured him with a quick smile.  
Nick just nodded in response, glancing around the crowded room as they reached the party, the dull bass thumping through the floor. He’d agreed to meet Jeff there, rather than picking him up first, and when his eyes fell on the familiar blond head of hair, he realised why.

“Blaine,” he said quietly, nudging his friend’s side and nodding in front of them to where Jeff sat on the edge of the sofa, with Thad’s arm locked tightly around his waist.   
Regardless of the fact that he looked bored out of his mind - from the hand gestures, it seemed that Thad was once again recounting the story of the triple backflip he’d performed at Regionals last year - Nick couldn’t help feeling like he’d been violently kicked in the stomach.  
“I need a drink,” he mumbled, pushing through the crowd towards the table-turned-bar, where Flint was juggling glasses to an encouraging crowd.

*

Blaine made sure to keep a close eye on Nick and just how much he was drinking, hoping he wouldn’t end up having to carry him back to their dorm, considering Nick had a least a couple of inches on him. He’d been as surprised as Nick was to see Jeff with Thad, considering how well the two of them had been getting along, but at the same time, he realised that they should have expected it. It was the natural order of things around Dalton; the pretty, popular kids hooked up within their own group, while the rest of them didn’t stand a chance.

Taking his watchful gaze off Nick momentarily, Blaine scanned the room, desperately hoping that he might find Kurt there. He’d only had a couple of beers, but the warm, fuzzy confidence buzzing through him was enough to propel him to thoughts of grand, romantic gestures. Because no one could resist those...right?

He set his drink down on the table, adjusting his bow tie a little. He cast Nick one last look, but his friend seemed content to sit in the corner of the room, glaring moodily in Thad’s direction, so Blaine decided he would most likely survive on his own for a little while and took off into the party to try and find Kurt.

*

Hunter had been downing shots all night; while entertaining at first, Sebastian couldn’t help but be a little concerned about his date, who was now attempting to clamber onto the table in the middle of the room. Sebastian made it to the side of the table just as Hunter started to dance, toying with the bottom of his shirt as he rolled his hips messily. He had to admit, despite his drunken state, the boy could move and the way he was grinding the air was giving Sebastian thoughts that were anything but innocent. 

There was a wolf whistle from Thad in the corner of the room, which only spurred Hunter on, his eyes locking onto various boys in the crowd as he continued his routine. His foot slipped on a split drink on the table, sending him flying off the table, thankfully onto the couch by its side.

“Okay, that’s enough alcohol for you,” Sebastian chuckled softly as he dropped down onto the sofa next to him, brushing a few loose strands of hair back from Hunter’s forehead.   
Hunter giggled softly, tugging at Sebastian’s shoulders to pull him down to him, wrapping his legs securely around his waist. “Hey,” he murmured, his eyes flickering between Sebastian’s eyes and his lips, licking at his own a little.  
“Hey yourself,” Sebastian replied softly, placing his hands on either side of Hunter’s head to rest his weight on.

All it would take would be for him to lean forward and his lips would be on Hunter’s. Judging by how firmly the other boy’s legs were locked around his waist, he wasn’t objecting to that idea either. Sebastian slowly leaned down, his lips just brushing over Hunter’s own when he was pulled back forcefully.  
“What the hell?” he growled as he looked up to find Nick looking at him with a miserable frown on his face.   
Below him, Hunter sighed in exasperation before untangling himself from Sebastian, rolling gracefully off the couch and disappearing off into the crowd again.

Sebastian swore loudly, whacking Nick’s shoulder a little. “I was finally getting somewhere, what did you do that for?”  
“It’s off,” Nick slurred, his eyes glazed in such a way that Sebastian knew he was pretty drunk by this point. “The whole thing, it’s off. Jeff chose Thad.”  
Sebastian sighed, grabbing at Nick’s shoulder as he tried to turn away. “And you’re just going to give up? I thought you really liked this guy.”  
“I do!” Nick yelled, throwing up his hands. “But he doesn’t want me.”  
“Fight for him, you idiot,” Sebastian growled, slapping him across the face.

That seemed to be all Nick needed for him to snap back into it. He blinked a few times, nodding a little, then patted Sebastian’s chest and drifted back off into the crowd, in Jeff’s general direction. Sebastian looked back down to the couch, groaning when he found Hunter had gone, again. Back to square one.

*

Nick found Jeff by the drinks table, staring into his cup as he swirled the contents around absentmindedly.   
“I’m surprised you could even bear to leave his side for a moment,” Nick commented drily, reaching to pour himself another drink.  
Jeff sighed, not taking his gaze off the drink in his hand. “I’m sorry,” he murmured quietly. “If it’s any consolation, I’ve had a terrible evening.”  
“It’s not,” Nick snapped in response, regretting the words as soon as he’d said them.

“You can’t just...” Nick trailed off, waving his hands around, the contents of his drink sloshing over the side of the cup a little. “Just because you’re beautiful doesn’t mean you can use people, or treat them like they don’t matter!”  
There was a pause; Nick breathing heavily and his hand shaking a little, Jeff putting down his cup to wrap his arms around himself.   
“I know. I’m sorry,” he said quietly, before looking up at Nick hesitantly. “You think I’m beautiful?”

Nick blushed, putting down his drink to shove his hands into his pockets, rocking on his heels a little. “Yeah...I mean, you’re gorgeous.”  
Jeff leaned forward, tipping Nick’s head up with the tip of his finger and pressing his lips to the shorter boy’s firmly. It only lasted a second before Jeff was pulling back, his face tinted red right up to the tips of his ears.  
“Goodnight, Nick,” he murmured, dropping one last kiss to the corner of Nick’s mouth before he left the party.

“Woah,” Nick breathed, still frozen to the spot as he gazed after Jeff with a giddy smile. “He kissed me.” He turned to the guy standing next to him - some sophomore he didn’t even know - shaking his shoulder roughly “Dude, he kissed me!”  
The guy looked at him for a moment, patting his shoulder gently. “Good for you, man.”  
Nick scanned the crowd for Sebastian; he’d lost Blaine long ago and he needed to tell someone (someone who would actually care, that is). 

He spotted the boy he was looking for with one arm around Hunter’s waist, half dragging him towards the door and ran over.   
“Sebastian, he kissed me, he kissed me!” Nick yelled, dancing around in little circles.  
Sebastian looked at him with an amused smirk as he watched him jump around. “That’s great. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he chuckled, nodding towards Hunter who was lounging on his shoulder, before continuing to pull him from the room.

*

Kurt opened his door, letting out a sigh when he saw Blaine standing in front of him, fiddling with his bow tie nervously.  
“What do you want?”  
“Uh...” Blaine’s smile only faltered momentarily before he was beaming at him again. “You weren’t at the party, I wanted to see if you were alright.”  
Kurt rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. “I’m fine, I just didn’t want to go.”  
“What are you doing?”

He groaned inwardly; clearly this kid wasn’t going to give up. “I’m watching a movie. You can come in, if you want,” he offered, stepping back to let him into the room.  
Blaine hesitated for a moment, a disbelieving grin on his face as he stepped through the doorway, shuffling his feet a little as he looked around for a place to sit.   
Kurt was lucky enough to have the dorm to himself; his last roommate having transferred mid semester. He slammed his door closed and walked back over to his bed where he’d been sitting before, shuffling over a little to make room for Blaine.   
“Well, come on then,” he called, patting the spot next to him.

Blaine blushed, walking forward slowly before slipping up next to him, toeing off his shoes and kicking them to the floor.   
Kurt couldn’t help but smile at the gesture, nudging his foot with his own. “Thank you, I appreciate that.” He watched out of the corner of his eye as Blaine frowned at the screen in confusion, before leaning over to grab the remote and switch on the subtitles. It was a French movie; he’d been watching it in the original language to practice but decided to take pity on Blaine’s look of utter helplessness.

Blaine didn’t pay much attention to the movie anyway; his eyes constantly flickering back to Kurt to take in the smooth line of his profile in the light from the screen. The dim light in the room, combined with the comfort of the bed had his eyelids drooping, his body sagging against the mattress a little and before long, he was dozing peacefully against Kurt’s shoulder.

Kurt looked down, a smile creeping across his face as he took in Blaine’s features as he slept. The movie had finished but he couldn’t bear the thought of waking him up when he looked that serene, his chest rising and falling slowly as he fell further into a deep sleep. Despite the temptation to curl up beside Blaine’s body, what with the heat radiating off him and the slightly fruity smell he’d brought into the room, Kurt reluctantly moved over to the spare bed, casting Blaine one last glance before turning onto his other side.

*

“Careful,” Sebastian chuckled as he finally got Hunter to the top of the staircase, the other boy practically clinging onto his side for dear life.  
“What would I do without you?” Hunter grinned, as Sebastian opened the door to Hunter’s room and navigated him towards his bed.  
“There we go,” Sebastian groaned as he hauled his legs up after him, sitting down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. 

Jeff appeared in the doorway to the bathroom, raising an eyebrow as he took in the two of them. Sebastian just shook his head, gesturing to Hunter, who was half passed out on the bed, limbs askew madly.   
“Seb,” Hunter murmured sleepily, pulling his attention back to him.   
Sebastian hummed in response, brushing his thumb along Hunter’s jaw gently.

Hunter closed his eyes, lifting his head a little, his lips puckering slightly as if he expected Sebastian to kiss him. Sebastian considered it, for a moment, but something inside of him was telling him not to. For some unexplainable reason, he was determined that his first kiss with Hunter be one that the other boy would actually remember. Instead, he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Hunter’s forehead.

Hunter’s eyes opened, a mixture of hurt and anger flickering through them as he looked up at Sebastian.   
“Goodnight,” he said curtly, turning onto his side, away from Sebastian.  
“Goodnight,” Sebastian murmured in response, walking from the room, ignoring Jeff’s questioning look as he passed him. He could only hope that Hunter wouldn’t remember his rejection in the morning.


	5. Part Five

Sebastian jumped with a yelp as Blaine whacked him violently across the arm with his Calculus textbook before he sat down again with a huff. The two of them, and Nick, were sitting on the edge of the playing fields in the warm sunshine, not so subtly keeping an eye on Hunter, who was involved in a fairly vicious game of soccer with the rest of the team.   
“What was that for?” Sebastian hissed, rubbing his arm a little and glaring at the shorter boy.  
“Because you’re an idiot,” Blaine replied simply, turning to Nick for some kind of support.

Nick, however, was too busy staring across the field to where the athletics team were doing warm ups to notice their conversation. Or, more specifically, staring at the way Jeff’s shorts stretched across his ass when he bent over.   
“Whenever you’re done leering,” Blaine prompted, poking him in the ribs sharply.  
“Hey!” Nick started slightly, turning back to them with a flush across his cheeks.  
“You’re so violent today,” Sebastian commented, earning him another smack from Blaine’s textbook.

“So, you didn’t kiss him and that was a dumb move. But, he probably doesn’t even remember it,” Nick shrugged, glancing across at Hunter.   
Hunter looked up to find the three boys staring at him, narrowing his eyes slightly as he took in Sebastian, lying back against the grass, looking smug as ever. Ignoring his teammates’ confused calls, he stepped back, kicking the ball hard into their direction. He cursed under his breath in annoyance as the boys - or more specifically, Sebastian - ducked just out of the way. He smiled politely at them before turning back to the game, his jaw set. 

“Okay, so he remembers,” Nick started cautiously, helping to haul Blaine back into a sitting position from where he’d thrown himself against the ground at the sight of the incoming soccer ball.  
“You need to do something to show him that you care,” Blaine suggested, brushing grass off his shoulder with a frown.   
Sebastian hummed under his breath thoughtfully, turning back to them with a wide grin spreading across his face. “I have an idea.”

*

Luckily for Sebastian, the band already had the song he’d chosen in their repertoire and Blaine had enough pull within the AV club to get him set up with a microphone in five minutes. Soccer practice was just wrapping up, the team slowly dispersing from the field. Sebastian just hoped Hunter would stick around to let him finish. 

You’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you...

Sebastian’s voice floated across the grounds through the speakers situated all around the field; every person nearby turning to watch him as he stood halfway up the bleachers, his eyes trained on Hunter. 

You’d be like heaven to touch, I wanna hold you so much,  
At long last love has arrived and I thank God I’m alive,  
You’re just too, can’t take my eyes off of you.

He cast a wink and a grin in Hunter’s direction, which the band took as their cue to launch into the song, the volume startling the forming crowd. As Sebastian continued the song, dancing along the bleachers with an unexplainable enthusiasm, the students below clapped and cheered along. Hunter stood in the middle of the field, the tips of his ears bright red as he glanced around him, trying to determine if anyone had figured out the object of Sebastian’s serenading. As much as he didn’t want to forgive him - the slick bastard who’d charmed his way into his life only to reject him later - there was something so endearing about watching Sebastian prance over the bleachers, the clack of his boots echoing along with the beat of the music.

He couldn’t help but laugh as he saw one of the janitors appear at the end of the bleachers; a game of cat and mouse soon starting up as Sebastian continued to leap over the bleachers, his grin never faltering, the janitor always close behind but never quite catching up to him. Hunter never did get a chance to talk to him after he was done however; the other boy being hauled straight to afternoon detention.

*

Sebastian, along with the rest of the room, jumped as something smacked against the window. Mr Taylor, at the front of the room, sighed as he turned around to try and find the source; watching with disgust as egg yolk ran down the window in smears. He started to turn back, clearly unconcerned about whatever student was lobbing eggs at the building. That was, until there was a series of another three splats, the eggs flying hard against the window. He slammed down the paper he’d been reading, storming through the class, hesitating only momentarily at the door.   
“None of you move,” he hissed, glaring around the class before stomping out, locking the door behind him, his footsteps echoing all the way down the corridor. 

When Sebastian turned back to the front of the room, he saw Hunter’s face pop up at the edge of the window. He beckoned with a grin, holding the last remaining egg in his hand as some form of explanation. Sebastian chuckled, and satisfied that Mr Taylor would be halfway around the front of the building by then, he ran to the front of the room, tugging the window open and jumping out.

“You broke me out,” Sebastian murmured, looking over at Hunter appreciatively.   
“Mm, well, after what you did, I couldn’t let you just sit there,” Hunter shrugged, his cheeks colouring a little.  
The two boys stepped closer to one another without really meaning to, gaze flickering between eyes and lips, their noses just brushing lightly.  
“Hunter Clarington!”  
“Shit, run!” Hunter yelled, grabbing Sebastian’s hand and tugging him down the hill and across the field.

*  
“So,” Jeff said slowly, drawing out the vowel as he strolled through the park with Nick at his side, their arms just brushing slightly with each step. “When are you going to ask me out on a real date?”  
Nick paused, his cheeks flushing as Jeff grinned at him sheepishly. “Oh. I, uh, I mean, we could, uh...”  
Jeff laughed softly, tilting his head a little as he looked at him, slipping his hands into Nick’s between them as he stepped forward. 

“Can I buy you dinner?” Nick asked, his words coming out in a frenzied rush, his mind fuzzy just from how close Jeff was standing next to him.  
Jeff said nothing in response, instead closing the gap between them to kiss him slowly, wrapping his arms around Nick’s waist as he parted his lips with his tongue.   
“Does that answer your question?” he asked, a little breathless, when he pulled back.  
“Not quite, I think maybe you should try it again,” Nick teased softly, rocking up onto his toes with a dopey smile for another kiss.

*

“Anderson,” Kurt growled, slamming the locker next to Blaine’s as he glared down at him.  
“Uh, hello Kurt, can I help you?” he squeaked, clutching his books to his chest frantically.  
Kurt softened a little, wishing furiously that his heart wouldn’t melt at the boy in the way that it did.  
“You ran out before I woke up the other morning,” Kurt commented, leaning his head against the locker with a pout.   
“Oh.” Blaine let out a breath, smiling a little. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep and I thought it was best I just let myself out.”

“You’re cute when you’re sleeping,” Kurt mused, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth at Blaine’s blush. “You’re cute all the time, actually.”  
Blaine looked down at his feet as he shuffled from one to the other, clearly unsure what to say. Kurt sighed in exasperation, tilting Blaine’s head back up with a hand on his jaw gently.

“Since you’re not going to be the one to do it, do you want to go see a movie sometime?”   
Blaine’s jaw visibly dropped opened as he struggled to form a response, short, almost words coming out.  
“I’ll take that as a yes then,” Kurt smiled sweetly, leaning around to drop a quick kiss to the corner of Blaine’s mouth before sauntering away. 

Blaine sank down to the floor as he stared at Kurt’s disappearing figure, his lips tingling a little from where he’d kissed him. “I have a date. With Kurt,” he whispered to himself, eyes wide as he took in what had just happened. “What am I going to wear?” he groaned softly, letting his head fall back against the cool metal with a thump.

*

“Remind me again why I agreed to spend the day with you?” Hunter grinned at Sebastian as they walked down towards the water, where the small rowing boat that they’d rented for the next couple of hours lay waiting.   
“Because I’m completely irresistible, of course.”  
“Ah, yes,” Hunter nodded, rolling his eyes with a fond smile.

It was the first time they felt like they’d truly been alone, together, as they rowed across the small lake in random patterns. Mostly they sat in silence, watching each other from opposite ends of the boat with small, almost teasing, smiles. There was no need for idle conversation; the words they exchanged were just as they learned a little more about one another. They were with each other and that was enough. And for the first time, Sebastian truly forgot that he was being paid to do it. 

Sebastian had been doing the rowing all afternoon; insisting that Hunter just sit back and relax, something he wasn’t too pleased about.  
“Just let me do it for a little bit, give you a break,” Hunter sighed, leaning forward in the boat a little, as if to try and start swapping places.  
“I’m fine, just sit down, you’re rocking the boat,” Sebastian replied, glancing back over his shoulder to check that he wasn’t about to bang into anything along the way.

When he turned back, Hunter was right in front of him, hands on the oars. “Let me do it,” he repeated firmly.  
“No,” Sebastian replied, just as stubborn, trying to tug the oars away from the other boy’s hands. 

It took only a few more movements before both boys found themselves losing their balance, the boat tipping precariously as it overturned, sending both boys into the - thankfully, warm - lake. They surfaced a few moments later, spluttering the water from their mouths and shaking it from their hair.

“That was your fault, Smythe,” Hunter growled, splashing in Sebastian’s direction.  
“Was not, you’re the one who couldn’t sit still,” Sebastian fought back, swimming over to him and wrapping a strong arm around his waist.  
Their legs tangled together under the water, wet bodies pressed against one another.

Sebastian watched as a drop of water ran down the curve of Hunter’s cheek, round the corner of his lip, melting away against his skin. He wrapped a hand tightly around Hunter’s neck, leaning forward to press their lips together firmly. They ignored the way they bobbed in the water; one minute nearly ended up fully submerged, the pressure pushing them up a moment later. All they focused on was the slide of their lips together and the soft breathy gasps that passed between them in the warm afternoon sun.


	6. Part Six

It happened almost overnight, the wave of senior prom madness crashing through the school. The boys woke up one morning to find posters lining every hallway, plastered haphazardly for the most part. There was a collective groan from the majority of the student body: since they shared their prom with Dalton’s sister school, Crawford, it was unofficially expected that for those who didn’t already have girlfriends (or boyfriends) to go with, would escort one of the girls. Which meant corsages, dinner reservations, hired cars and all the other things that generally left the boys of Dalton somewhat panicked about the upcoming dance.

Prom was on Saturday. On Monday, Thad asked Jeff to be his date, to which he replied that he’d have to think about it. On Tuesday, Thad gave Sebastian $450 to make sure Hunter would be there. On Wednesday, Nick asked Jeff to the prom and he accepted. On Thursday, Jeff told Thad he would be going with someone else, but chose not to say who. By Friday, all hell was breaking loose across the school with the top sentence on everyone’s lips being: “where the hell do you rent a tuxedo from anyway?”

*

Hunter and Sebastian lay side by side on the grass at the edge of the grounds, fingers laced lightly between them as they watched the clouds float across the sky absentmindedly. They often did this: just sat in silence with one another, no need for anything but just the comfort and reassurance that the other was there, by their side. Hunter was humming quietly under his breath, some Cheap Trick song he’d had stuck in his head all day. 

“Come to prom with me.”  
Sebastian broke the silence, his voice clear and warm as he propped himself up onto one elbow to gaze down at Hunter, who frowned back up at him.  
“No.”  
His smile only faltered for a second before he moved his hand to stroke Hunter’s jaw gently. “Come on,” he coaxed, batting his eyelashes just a little. “Give me one good reason why you won’t.”  
“Because prom is a stupid tradition designed to get us to spend ridiculous amounts of money just to have some good photos of our dumb high school days before they send us off into the real world.”

Sebastian sighed, rolling onto his stomach and resting his chin on Hunter’s bicep as he smiled up at him hopefully. “But, you’ll be with me. And it’s a rite of passage, you can’t just not go.”  
“Yes, I can,” Hunter huffed, settling his head back onto the grass a little and closing his eyes.  
“Please, Hunt. Just say you’ll go with me.”

Hunter sat up abruptly, Sebastian cursing under his breath as the movement sent his chin hitting painfully into the ground.   
“Why are you pushing this?” Hunter snapped, wrapping his arms around himself almost protectively.  
“Because you’re being an idiot,” Sebastian growled as he picked himself up off the ground into a sitting position.  
“Well, you wouldn’t want to go to prom with one of those,” Hunter spat before he was storming off, his boots kicking up dirt in his wake.

Sebastian groaned, flopping back down on the grass and ignoring the way the blades tickled at the side of his face. It was like he’d finally taken a step forward with Hunter and now he was right back where he’d started. Again. It was far more effort than he’d ever put in for any guy before; a twinge in his gut reminding him that of course it was, because he was getting paid for this, for all of it. In the past few weeks he’d spent with the other boy, he’d almost managed to forget, but how could he now, with the money sitting in his pocket at that very moment?

*

“Smythe!” Thad yelled, his shoes clacking off the polished floors as he stormed towards the taller boy, shoving him against his locker.  
“Thad,” Sebastian replied cooly, brushing his hand off from where it was resting on his shoulder. “What’s got your panties in a twist?”  
Thad hissed at him venomously, putting out a hand with an eyebrow raised expectantly. “I’d like my money back.”  
“And why the hell would I do that?” Sebastian chuckled.  
“Because Jeff is going to prom with someone else, which means it makes no difference to me if Hunter is there or not. Now give me back my money or I’ll tell your little princess just why you’ve taken such an interest in him this year.”

Sebastian froze, his jaw set as he stared back at Thad. “You wouldn’t.”  
“Don’t test me,” Thad smiled sweetly, waggling his fingers at Sebastian with a coaxing grin until Sebastian found himself rootling around in his pocket for the money that he hadn’t touched since getting it. 

He should have been relieved, really, to be rid of it. Now, should Hunter change his mind, he could go on his own terms, and if he didn’t, then he didn’t owe it to anybody. But Thad’s threat hung over him nevertheless. There was nothing to stop him from telling Hunter; after all, Thad hadn’t gotten his way, he hadn’t gotten Jeff. He would be out for blood but something in Sebastian doubted that the boy would go after the innocent blond. Which just left him and Hunter. 

Sebastian let out a breath, slamming his locker shut with a little more force than was probably necessary. Even if had started out somewhat unconventionally, he knew that there was something real between them and he wasn’t about to let Thad be the one to ruin that.

*

Much like Hunter, Kurt hadn’t been planning on going to his senior prom either. He’d toyed with the idea a little now that Blaine had become a more constant fixture in his life, but ultimately he knew that if he said he’d rather spend the night watching a movie, the other boy would be more than happy to accommodate his wishes. Or, so he’d thought.

On Friday, he received a note in his locker, on the marbled paper he’d idly commented to Blaine once as being “the most romantic paper in existence, if it were possible for paper to be in any way romantic”.

Underneath the chandelier at nine o’clock. There, I shall wait for you, my prince.  
Yours, B.

Part of Kurt wanted to scrunch it up, toss it in the trash and forget about it, regardless of whether it would mean Blaine standing by himself in the middle of the dance floor waiting for his date that would never arrive. But, there was something about Blaine that had him hooked, something that was enough to make him not want to hurt the other boy.

As it was, Kurt not only decided to go, but he also managed to convince Hunter to go also. They made a pact to turn up together, so that they had each other as a back up should either of their dates disappear or not show up at all.

*

Nick straightened his jacket for the hundredth time as he waited outside Jeff’s door for his date to appear. When the door opened, there was a simultaneous intake of breath as the two boys looked at one another; both in well-fitted tuxes, Nick’s a classic black and Jeff’s a deep, midnight blue.   
“You look incredible,” Nick murmured, his cheeks flushing a little as he gazed at Jeff, instinctively reaching out for him.  
“So do you,” Jeff laughed softly, falling into his arms easily, before leaning down to capture the shorter boy’s lips in a gentle kiss.

There was a grunt from behind them before Hunter was pushing past, knocking the two boys into the doorway.   
“Come on, let’s get the torture over with,” he grumbled, stomping down the corridor, with Nick and Jeff trailing behind, fingers entwined, exchanging fleeting wistful glances along the way. 

Hunter let out a sigh of relief when he saw Kurt standing at the doorway to the main hall. It had been converted into a ballroom for the night, adorned with streamers, balloons and fairy lights, casting a warm glow across the students already dancing and milling around.   
“Good, you’re here,” Hunter commented briskly, his jaw set, his shoulders clearly tense.  
“I am,” Kurt murmured, his eyes drifting to look across the dance floor, smiling as he spotted Blaine standing underneath the chandelier, as promised. “And so is my date.”

“But you-” Hunter started, grabbing at Kurt’s arm desperately before he was cut off by a hand firmly pressed against his mouth.  
“And so is yours,” Kurt encouraged gently, turning him around and gently nudging him towards where Sebastian stood, twirling a short stemmed yellow rose between his fingers gracefully.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d come,” Sebastian called out as Hunter walked over to him cautiously, his eyes flickering to the rose momentarily.   
Hunter hummed noncommittally, letting Sebastian tuck the flower into the lapel of his tux slowly, his hands smoothing over the material. He tried to ignore the way his stomach swooped just at the smallest brushes of Sebastian’s hands against his body; tried to stop himself from pressing forward into his arms as he wanted to do so badly.

“Well, this jackass said it was a rite of passage or something,” Hunter mumbled, his lips involuntarily quirking into a small smile.  
“Yellow, for forgiveness,” Sebastian murmured, nodding to the flower and brushing his thumb along Hunter’s jaw slowly, the other falling to his hip.  
Hunter didn’t reply, instead just leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to the corner of Sebastian’s mouth, before leading him out onto the dance floor, to join their friends.

*

They danced for what seemed like hours; every past worry forgotten as the fast songs faded into the slow ones, the tempo picking up again soon after. A new one had just started, the whole room brightening slightly at the familiar tune, the dance floor soon packed with bodies, laughing and singing along. Blaine was jumping around madly next to Kurt who was chuckling fondly as he tried to follow along with what he was doing, their hands joined somewhere in the middle. Jeff and Nick had remained in each other’s arms, swaying around giddily, feet nearly slipping on the polished floors. Sebastian had one arm locked around Hunter’s waist as they danced, leaning down to brush his nose, lips, cheek, against Hunter’s every so often. 

Too caught up in it all, they didn’t notice Thad walking over; didn’t notice his slight stumbling and the alcohol on his breath.  
“Well, this is what you ditched me for then, you little slut,” he slurred, whacking Nick’s shoulder forcefully, sending him spinning out of Jeff’s arms.  
“Leave him alone, Thad,” Jeff hissed, brushing past him to check on the other boy.

Thad just laughed, looking around at the small crowd that had formed around them, before his eyes fell on Sebastian and Hunter. Sebastian tensed immediately, his grip tightening on the boy next to him, his eyes flashing slightly in warning to Thad. Don’t you dare.

“Oh, and this? This is just precious,” Thad laughed, throwing his head back as he did so, before walking over to them. “It’s like some twisted fairytale. Boy meets boy. Rich, popular boy...” he trailed off to cast a quick look at his audience. “Spoiler alert, that’s me. Anyway.” He paused, turning back to Hunter and Sebastian, a smirk spreading across his face. “Rich popular boy pays boy to date boy and then they fell in love anyway. How adorable.”

“What did you just say?” Hunter asked quietly, his arm falling from where it had been resting across Sebastian’s shoulders, taking a small step away from him.  
“Hunter, it wasn’t like that, I swear,” Sebastian pleaded desperately, reaching for Hunter’s hand that lay limp in his own.  
“Oh, but it was exactly like that,” Thad shrugged.

Hunter wrenched his hand from Sebastian’s grip, running towards the door; the other boy frozen as he watched him go, his heart sinking. He could run after him - and maybe he should - but it wouldn’t make any difference. Hunter would never trust him any more, if he ever had to begin with. Eventually, Sebastian shook his head bitterly, ignoring his friends that were calling after him as he walked slowly from the room.

“Oh dear, do you think it was something I said?” Thad asked innocently as he watched him go.   
When he turned around to face the other four boys again, he immediately came into contact with a sharp blow to his face, sending him sprawling to the ground.  
“Blaine!” Kurt yelled, watching as Blaine stomped over to where Thad had fallen as a result of his punch; Jeff and Nick still sitting to one side, their jaws slack in surprise. 

“You. Are. An. Asshole,” Blaine hissed, each word punctuated with a sharp kick to Thad’s side, who whimpered pitifully on the ground. “Stay the hell away from my friends.”  
With one final kick, he turned back around, clearing his throat as he adjusted his bow tie. He ignored the astonished looks of his fellow classmates as he stepped back over to his date, offering out his hand. “Kurt. Shall we go?” 

When Dalton and Crawford’s classes of 2012 looked back on their senior prom, many didn’t remember the theme or the lights or the music that was played. But they would never forget watching little, quiet Blaine Anderson kicking the living crap out of the most popular guy in school.

*

Sebastian hadn’t heard from Hunter all weekend; not for a lack of trying. He’d called repeatedly, leaving message after message until his mailbox claimed to be full. He’d been round at Hunter’s door knocking for nearly half an hour before Jeff had answered and gently told him that he thought it would be best if he left. 

Come Monday morning and Sebastian found himself in his first period English class - something he hadn’t attended in months - purely in the hopes that he might be able to talk to Hunter at some point during or after it. Apparently they had presentations due that day because he watched with some confusion as Hunter walked to the front, a piece of paper clutched in his hands. Hunter glanced at him once, his eyes hard and hurt, before he turned to the sheet in his hands, reading it out in a clear, if slightly shaky, voice.

“I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair.  
I hate the way you drive my car, I hate it when you stare.  
I hate your big, dumb combat boots and the way you read my mind.  
I hate you so much it makes me sick — It even makes me rhyme.  
I hate the way you're always right. I hate it when you lie.  
I hate it when you make me laugh — Even worse when you make me cry.  
I hate it when you're not around. And the fact that you didn't call.”

He paused, looking up slowly to gaze straight at Sebastian, his voice dropping lower, almost to a whisper:  
“But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you — Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.”  
Without another word, Hunter ran from the room, the paper falling from his hands next to Sebastian’s desk as he left. Sebastian stood up as if to follow, but was cut off from a voice at the front.  
“Mr Smythe, since you actually bothered to show up for once, how about you sit back down, hm?”

Reluctantly, he sank back down into his seat, drumming his fingers on the desk in frustration. He reached down to pick up the paper Hunter had dropped, frowning down at the scribbled notes on the typed page, trying to make out what it said. I love you was smudged and hastily scored out in the margin next to the last line. Sebastian clenched his fists, his mind racing. He had to do something, something big to make Hunter realise just how much he cared. He paused, a grin spreading across his face as an idea came to him. Now, that just might work.

*

Hunter squinted slightly as he walked out of the main building that afternoon, the sun pouring down. He tuned out the chatter of the boys around him; Nick and Jeff at one side of him, Kurt and Blaine at the other. He was just about to turn off for the path to the forest, where they’d been planning to go and enjoy the afternoon sunshine, when the boys stopped him hastily, pointing up to the roof of the back building. It wasn’t a particularly high building and if it hadn’t been for the sun flooding his vision, Hunter would have been able to see who it was that was standing atop it. As it was, he didn’t realise it was Sebastian until he heard his familiar voice drifting from the speakers down over the grounds, accompanied by the band, just like before.

I want you to want me.   
I need you to need me.   
I'd love you to love me.   
I'm beggin' you to beg me. 

I want you to want me.   
I need you to need me.   
I'd love you to love me.   
I'll shine up the old brown shoes, put on a brand-new shirt.   
I'll get home early from work if you say that you love me. 

Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?   
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?   
Feelin' all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin'.   
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'? 

I want you to want me.   
I need you to need me.   
I'd love you to love me.   
I'm beggin' you to beg me.   
I'll shine up the old brown shoes, put on a brand-new shirt.   
I'll get home early from work if you say that you love me. 

Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?   
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?   
Feelin' all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin'.   
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?   
Feelin' all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin'.   
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'? 

At some point, the other boys around him had started singing along, laughing and cheering for Sebastian as they did. Hunter couldn’t help but let himself be sucked into the performance, a grin stretched across his face. As the music shifted into an instrumental break, Sebastian slid down the drainpipe at the side of the building, walking forward to stand in front of Hunter, looking at him hopefully.

I want you to want me.   
I need you to need me.   
I'd love you to love me.   
I'm beggin' you to beg me.   
I want you to want me.   
I want you to want me.   
I want you to want me.   
I want you to want me.

“You know you can’t just serenade me every time you screw up, right?” Hunter laughed, already walking forward to slip his arms around Sebastian’s waist.  
Sebastian scrunched up his nose, slipping his hands around and into the back pockets of Hunter’s pants. “Forgive me?” he purred, batting his eyelashes at him with a grin.  
“You’re an asshole,” Hunter sighed, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Sebastian’s.  
“But you love me,” Sebastian murmured. “Just like I love you.”  
“Seal it with a kiss?” Hunter smiled softly and then their lips were meeting once more.


End file.
